FULL TECHNICAL STUDY REPORT
Developed by:
Steven J Stark – nanoFIBER™ and Point 2 Point Communications
In association with:
TRAXyL
AHRC and Camp Loyaltown
July 2023
About AHRC
AHRC Nassau is non-for-profit organization headquartered at 189 Wheatley Rd, Brookville, NY 11545 is dedicated in helping individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) a throughout the Nassau County. AHRC has a range of companies that includes five (5) schools, two (2) clinics and Citizens Option Unlimited Group designed to allow AHRC to operate outside of Nassau County that includes one hundred and seventy (170) houses and hub sites. Camp Loyaltown in Hunter, N.Y. provides 600 campers with IDD to realize personal growth supported by their specifically designed internal and external programs.
The Technical Paper Guidelines
The AHRC IT department was tasked to upgrade the fiberoptic network system for Camp Loyaltown that included increasing bandwidth and throughput of the internet connectivity and put the project out to bid.
Innumerable challenges such as road terrain, cold climate, snow plowing, sensitive timetables for completion, as well as budgetary requirements from the bid process were considered. The full-service camp was comprised of five buildings and housing over 600 campers, 160 counselors and staff members from various countries needed a reliable and secure fiber optic network for the upcoming 2023 camp summer session.
The technical paper deconstructs the procedures, design, manpower, product testing, as well as the bid selection process that led to a groundbreaking technology called FiberTRAX, a flushmount “paint-on pavement” optical fiber solution from TRAXyL, coupled with nanoFIBER’s patented stainless-steel armored fiber optic cables solutions captured the support of the AHRC IT Department and the company as a whole.
Camp Loyaltown’s selection process for upgrading their fiberoptic network system and connecting 5 buildings with 3,000 feet of cables led to a unique solution that requires no trenching, no permitting and is approximately 90% faster and 50% less expensive than conventional ditching, trenching, and hanging on utility poles. The 10-year warranty added assurance against failure from traditional wear and tear.
About Camp Loyaltown
Since 1982, Camp Loyaltown nestled in Hunter N.Y. and nearby Hunter Mountain has helped campers with IDD to discover independence while experiencing the joys of friendship, fun and personal achievement free from challenges they face daily.
Camp Loyaltown is a program of Citizens Options Unlimited, a leading provider of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They are accredited by the American Campers Association (ACA). Campers and staff live in modernized, rustic-style cabins which house anywhere from four (4) to twelve (12) campers and staff members. Each cabin has its own ADA COMPLIANT showers and restroom facilities.
Camp Loyaltown fully renovated recreation facilities including the 9-hole miniature golf course, a heated, swimming/activity pool as well as the adaptive playgrounds, ball fields and indoor/outdoor basketball courts as well as a performing art stage.
The Camp provides a 4:1 camper to counselor ratio and provides 1:1 care when needed. Counselors are energetic, enthusiastic, patient, and loving and are thoroughly trained at Camp Loyaltown before the first campers arrive.
Camp Loyaltown on-site, state-of-the-art health center is equipped to handle each camper’s medical needs and is staffed by RNs with years of experience caring for individuals with developmental disabilities as well as access to medical physicians in the nearby local community.
The Problem
The Camp’s 54Kbit wireless bridge network was antiquated and need of an upgrade. Additionally, the 54Kbit connection did not provide the adequate bandwidth to support the connectivity for nearly eight hundred (800) campers and staff members. Furthermore, the camp’s Telehealth platform is a key service component offered to both the campers and staff for online medical and emergency support was not reliable due to the 54Kbit wireless bridge network. Telehealth platform is an extremely important service to the campers and provides real-time diagnostic over the network system.
The Ask
Camp Loyaltown’s telehealth group recognized the key issues from the poor internet and Wi-Fi connectivity for this service and concerned this would impact their performance. The senior camp staff reached out to the AHRC IT/Network Department and expressed the importance of connectivity to the telehealth platform which included upgrading the fiber backbone to meet the needs of the camp. This meant upgrading to a 10 GB or more service which provided the throughput to maintain wireless connectivity throughout the campground. All five (5) buildings needed new data rack mount fiber panels. The fibers were terminated with LC splices on pigtails with a total of 144 splices between the buildings to ensure the hardwire connection and 24/7 uninterrupted wireless connectivity.
Concerns and challenges
The AHRC IT Network team recognized the problem facing the camp year beginning in June 2023 to have in place a fully operational fiber optic backbone that provided the necessary connectivity and Wi-Fi.
Key concerns of the camp senior staff: being under construction from trenching, equipment and creating a less than desirable experience at the camp for the 2023 summer session.
Joe Milone, Director of AHRC Network Operations understood the massive undertaking from trenching as well as obstacles from streams running throughout the camp. Additionally, it was clear that the esthetics of the camp could not be compromised by overhead ariel wires.
Furthermore, the IT department dreaded this project with equipment hitting underground streams and old pipes that could lead to further issues and complications.
Other concerns and considerations were the harsh environment and weather conditions in Upstate N.Y. Expansion and contraction of road surfaces caused from radical temperature changes would impact the integrity of the underground fiber network as well as snow plowing that takes place in the heavy snowfall area of Hunter Mountain.
Starting in Nov 2022, Mr. Milone began developing and gathering requirements and needs for the full network upgrade. This led to potentially postponing this project and bid process to start after the 2023 camp year and roll into 2024.
Traditional Underground Cabling Ditching
Traditionally, fiber optic cables are placed underground and into ducts which are being built below the surface. Conduits and pathways are created to protect against the environment as well as vermin attacks. The solution provides protection from both physical and environmental abuse. The conduit protects cable from shifting rocks, aggressive rodents, and/or damage from hand shovels. Underground cable and ducts are part of the underground conduit system. Telecommunication conduits are made from various materials and buried directly into the soil or encased in concrete. Fiber optic cables have provided a more optimal use of available underground conduit space because of its small cable diameter and the much higher communications traffic capacity of each cable. In urban areas where space for telecommunications cable is limited, it needs to be used more efficiently. However, concerns of permitting, costs and months of disruption was the key consideration of postponing till 2024.
See FiberTRAX vs Micro trenching White Paper
The Process
Joseph Milone, Director of AHRC Network Operations explains, “The New York State regulation requires nonprofits looking for grants to solicit and submit three (3) or more sealed bid applications. The Requirement is based on N.Y. State regulations that grants received more than five-thousand dollars ($5000) must go out as sealed bids.
Joseph further elaborates, “Purchasing and software department would set up an internal kick off meeting with requirements to the prospectus bidders. Firstly, the bidders must do a site survey and submit it as part of the bid process and meet the deadline. Secondly, a Scoring sheet with questions set the search for the right bid that met all criteria. The group then reviewed “what they like’ and reviewed pros and cons scoring sheet and for each targeted vendor and bidder. Other factors included experience and project reputation. Lastly, the Purchasing Department then notifies the bid winner to set in motion the project.”
The Project
Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. was looking to deploy a fiber backbone network to connect all 5 buildings together. There was no cabling infrastructure connecting any of these buildings outside of some copper lines between the main office and Infirmary. The bid requirement was to run underground piping or poles to network the campus. The bidders would install a 2” conduit when going underground. If aboveground is approved, proper poles and cabling to ensure the fiber can withstand the harsh weather in the area. A site survey must be done by all bidders which will be coordinated with the camp.
FIBER AND TERMINATIONS: The fiber run will be OM4 50 Micron fiber. Single mode or Multi mode fiber will be determined by the distance between each of the buildings. The fiber will be terminated using LC connectors. LIU’s for each building will be supplied by the vendor. We are looking to drop 6 strands of fiber to each building.
“We understood the importance or “need” for upgrading IT and/or fiber backbone at Camp Loyal town,” states, Joseph Milone, Director of AHRC Network Operations. He further elaborates, “Staff counselor employee support all from overseas as well as some local staff. The
biggest complaint regarding the network is that Wi-Fi does not connect on a consistent basis. The Campers are from local areas and added to these issues. With 160 Staff members and 600 Campers… we needed to upgrade the system.”
Key consideration for next steps within the organization “to assess costs and other constraints of such an undertaking.” This included hiring outside consultants, and the in-house staff providing guidance for the needs analysis. Firstly, the senior camp team provided an analysis of what the clinic provides from the telehealth platform and the needs of the counselors. Secondly, the analysis was presented to IT Group. Thirdly, the IT Group agreed and approved the need to upgrade the network.
Requirement for telehealth with bandwidth and throughput is critical. The solutions must provide bandwidth that is seamless on the network.
The Bid Selection
Companies bidding on the project provided a cost analysis and site plan that included costs, equipment, time of completion and finally connecting the fiber to the servers and internet as fully operational.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NEW, OCTOBER 2022 Ver. 1 for Fiber Infrastructure
- Purpose, Overview, Background, Scope of Work
- Format & Content of Proposal Contract Award Procedure
- Proposal Evaluation and Format of Content of Proposal
The date of the Request for Proposals was released on October 4, 2022. Scheduling of several “Teams Meetings” covering the Pre-Bid Conference as well as expectation from the final Proposal of Friday November 18, 2022.
The scoring procedure reviewed the balance of costs, disruption to the campgrounds and longevity to complete the project. The Major concerns outside of digging up massive pavements to certain buildings but to put up Poles for hard-to-reach buildings. Additionally, many of the bids took several months to complete the project and forcing to start after the 2023 camp year.
Originally, the traditional methods of trenching ditches between the buildings that require bulldozers and months of time as well as permitting has been a debilitating factor for upgrading the IT system. The current process includes digging trenches between the buildings.
NanoFIBER™, manufacturer of the patented stainless steel armored fiber optic cables and TRAXYL, the producer of the patented “Fiber-To-Flush-Mount-Surface Solutions” road adhesive won the bid to link all buildings via this process as well as fiber network connection at Camp Loyaltown.
The Evaluation Procedure
All proposals accepted by Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. will be reviewed to determine whether they are responsive or non-responsive to the requisites of this RFP. Proposals that are determined by Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. to be non-responsive will be rejected. Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. Evaluation Committee will evaluate and rate all remaining proposals based on the Evaluation Criteria prescribed below. Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. reserves the right to conduct site visits and/or interviews and/or to request that proposers make presentations and/or demonstrations, as Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. deems applicable and appropriate. Although discussions may be conducted with proposers submitting acceptable proposals, Citizens Options Unlimited, Inc. reserves the right to award contracts based on initial proposals received, without discussions; therefore, the proposer’s initial proposal should contain its best technical and price terms.
Evaluation Criteria
- Demonstrated quantity and quality of successful relevant experience. 45%
- Demonstrated level of organizational capability. 10%
- Quality & pricing of proposed approach. 40%
- Compliance with insurance & code of conduct documents 05%
TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™ Winning Bid
TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™ flush road solution met all bid requirements. According to Joseph Milone, Director of AHRC Network Solutions states, the “FiberTRAX” solution is an amazing technology. The flush road deployment was far superior to any surface mounted options. TRAXyL provided the best price compared to micro trenching. Instead of months to complete with bulldozers, ariel wires and disrupting the camp, TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™ bid promised the whole project for Fiber network installation in three (3) days to fiber connectivity in two (2) days! Almost too good to be true.”
Ben Elungata, IT Manager, Vantage Care Clinic and Joe Milone asked. “what is this TRAXyL?” They did their due diligence and checked websites and 3 references including how the project went and how the surface solution performed in cold weather? All references provided glowing and outstanding reviews and highly recommended TRAXyL and nanoFIBER™ for their expertise, solution, and project management. The cold weather is a major factor to consider due to plowing, salt erosion as well as expansion and contraction of the road surface in harsh weather.
TRAXyL and nanoFIBER™ team created a plan during the site survey that could expedite and complete the project in less than one week once dates were solidified. Joe states, “Is this too good to be true?” The three references provided assurance and TRAXyL/nanoFIBER can meet their project deadlines.
TRAXyL and nanoFIBER™ Deployment
TRAXyL, the leader in “painted-on-pavement” FiberTRAX, and nanoFIBER™, stainless-steel armored fiber optic cabling manufacturer team met with Joe Milone at the campsite. Reviewed the project and the daily goals to fully deploy the network in five (5) days. The alternative micro trenching would take 60 days versus 3 days using the TRAXyL “flush to surface” adhesive and groove solution.
The Parameters:
The objective: Design a FiberTRAX “flush road” surface fiber cabling solution and deploy fiber optics to all the buildings. Camp Loyaltown, located in Hunter, N.Y., services campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities were ready to upgrade their IT systems to better serve their campers. The project included the interconnecting of all buildings via the camp’s roadways with high-speed fiber optics cabling and be fully operational within all the facilities server racks.
Due to severe weather conditions at the camp location, as well as mountainous terrain, boring and trenching were virtually unfeasible, and cost would be exorbitant. To hang on poles would damage the aesthetic of the camp and due to severe weather, would not withstand average winter storms. This made TRAXyL and FiberTRAX the only option for high-speed connectivity on the campgrounds without serious construction or closures.
The Goal:
Camp Loyaltown was looking for a Zero-Ditching Solution that would not disrupt the camp for any extended period. Goals included starting site survey in February 2023 with the start and completion of project by May 2023.
Roman Krawczyk, Chief Engineer at nanoFIBER™ suggested a future proof singlemode stainless-steel armored backbone instead of the multimode OM4 suggested in the Bid proposal. Using 24 strand singlemode cabling solution between the five buildings enables future growth as well as with new network hardware to 10 Gb. Additionally, higher speed equipment allows for future bandwidth from 40 Gb to 100 Gb.
Team TRAXyL/nanoFIBER Problems to Consider
Team TRAXyL’s Chief Strategy Officer and nanoFIBER’s Chief Engineer surveyed the site to assess the problems related to building out both the FiberTRAX pathway as well as completing the connecting all end points in the buildings in a timely manner.
TRAXyL was originally concerned about the quality of the asphalt. FiberTRAX is made to last as long as the road surface, so there were some concerns that certain areas were not going to be ideal to lay FiberTRAX due to severely damaged, poor quality asphalt conditions.
FiberTRAX was most ideal for work at Camp Loyaltown due to its durability against harsh weather conditions. FiberTRAX is not affected by snow, heat, or any kind of extreme weather. It has also undergone multiple tests that prove it is durable against high foot and road traffic, as well as fully snowplowed tested.
The TRAXyL equipment easily fits into a standard trailer and diesel truck, making it much easier to transport than alternative methods such as horizontal directional drills or telephone/ cable poles.
Design of the Fiber System
A site survey had to be conducted to determine which buildings needed to be connected. Google Earth was used to map out where each 24-count fiber cable would transition into buildings and the best route to take for each building.
According to Roman Krawczyk, Chief Engineer at nanoFIBER™, “our team were challenged to design a multi-strand singlemode armored fiber optic cable that could be installed for all
weather conditions and directly into the road groove formed by the patented TRAXtor cable/topcoat deployment machine.”
Issues considered for both the inner and outer jacket were the fiber optic cable’s ability to withstand harsh environments, and expansion and contraction associated with radical temperature changes in road surfaces. Additionally, the outer diameter of the armored cable could not exceed the width of the road groove and allow the TRAXyL topcoat to easily be applied for a smooth operation. Furthermore, in the unlikely case of water leakage caused by road punctures, the cable must resist water breaching of the inner fiber optic strands within the cabling jacket.
nanoFIBER™ developed a 24-strand singlemode cable that would meet or exceed project expectations. The nanoFIBER™ stainless-steel armored 24 F Indoor/Outdoor SM G657A@ OD 4.0mm Model #SM2424N-A2-4.0 cable allowed for fiber upgrades and additional future applications. The stainless-steel armor provided the gauge thickness to ensure crush and vermin resistance, as well as meeting harsh weather conditions in Upstate N.Y. Water Blocking material is added to protect against a breach of the outer jacket. The water blocking material absorbs any moisture and maintains the integrity of the fiber cable and protects the fiber optic strands within the cabling jacket. Kevlar is added to strengthen the cable when pulled through TRAXtor machine and maintain a smooth rollout of the fiber into the road groove. Finally, Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) outer jacket is added to the cable to eliminate carcinogens associated with fire from as well as meet Depart Of Transportation specifications.
Diagram #2: Cut away image of the typical nanoFIBER stainless steel armored and components
Diagram #3: Site Survey detail
The first trip in February was for the initial site walk with Joe Milone, IT Network Staff from AHRC and the Senior Camping staff along with Greg Stempkoski, CSO TRAXyL, Roman Krawczyk Chief Engineer, nanoFIBER™ and Lee Renfroe, Chief Installer for GoFroe. The walkthrough specifically focused on building entrances for conduits, pathways, and the fiber system design.
Mr. Krawczyk explained, “We looked for pathways preferably on hard surfaces. We spent time measuring distance and entry ways into the buildings as well as transitions from asphalt to underground pipe where needed. The last touchpoint was ensuring the data closets of all five-building had ample space to mount the new fiber optic connections.”
Roman Krawczyk recommended a 24 strand singlemode stainless armored solution to protect and future proof the network versus the proposed OM4 multimode fiber. He states “nanoFIBER™ has a small diameter coating from the stainless-steel armor and uses a water blocking system with a flex outdoor waterproof jacket to make it the perfect fit into TRAXyL deployment system. It is designed for long life in a harsh environment. “
Submit Site Plan to AHRC Network Team
The Final design/layout plans were submitted by TRAXyL to the AHRC network team approximately 30 days prior to the designated installation date.
Pre-Construction Survey
According Roman Krawczyk, Chief Engineer, nanoFIBER™ explains, “One of the most important steps in the engineering and placement of optical cable is the preconstruction site survey.” During the Camp visit, Greg Stempkoski, TRAXyL CSO and Roman Krawczyk, acting Field Engineer observed any unusual situations that require special attention. The proposed placing route will be evaluated for its ability to support the planned placing procedure. One of the main objectives of the survey is to discover all potential pitfalls in the proposed placing operation so they may be accounted for in the final procedure.
Proper fiber optic cable protection and handling while loading or unloading cable reels is imperative. Care must be taken to prevent collision with other reels, or damage to the reel or cable. The reels are stored on its side (do not store a reel flat on one flange). The cable on the reels are covered at the nanoFIBER™ factory with a UV/thermal wrap until just prior to installation to protect it from exposure to the sun and high temperatures.
Mr. Krawczyk further elaborates, “before any visit is made to a prospective construction site, an up-to-date plot plan showing the location of existing utilities should be obtained from each of the utilities that will affect the construction operation.”
Daniel Turner, CEO for TRAXyL selects a route that provides easy access for workers, equipment, and materials. He further expounds, “the placing route are spacious and safe staging area convenient to the job needs. The staging area is a location in which cable reels can be unloaded and stored prior to use with an all-weather surface. We consider other factors such as security from vandalism and theft. Additionally, the job site and staging area are protected from both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Splice and connector locations are selected based on their ability to serve a good cable feed and/or cable pulling location or as the location where fiber branching will occur.”
Set parameters and project date timelines for Completion.
AHRC from the beginning was upfront about the project needing to be completed before Mid-May (before the kids for summer camp arrived). TRAXyL efficiently completed the installation, with no disruption to normal camp operations and a full two weeks prior to the campers arriving at the facility.
The team were comprised of one (1) TRAXtor Operator, three (3) TRAXyL installation technicians, one (1) nanoFIBER™ field supervisor who assisted with in-building cable runs and one (1) GoFroe network installer.
Setting up the TRAXyL and the TRAXtor machine
TRAXtor is a proprietary and revolutionary piece of equipment created and designed by TRAXyL. This machine is designed to groove a channel into the pavement or asphalt as well as place the fiber optic cable into the created channel. The machine also deploys a highly durable topcoat to seal the fiber cable in the channel.
Set up requires TRAXtor to be taken out of trailer and calibrated for optimal temperature conditions. Materials are then added to the system, and once completed it is fully operational.
Due to less-than-ideal conditions at Camp Loyaltown, the TRAXtor wasn’t used as a one pass system as originally intended. However, the agility of the machine allowed for the grooving to be done first, then once branched cables were laid, Topcoat was done once all grooving and fiber placement was complete.
Results: When comparing 1000 feet of armored fiber optic cabling, nanoFIBER cables are approximately 65% smaller and 75% lighter than Aluminum Interlocking Armor. The nanoFIBER armor had a greater bend radius and did not crack, crimp or break when bending past its capabilities. AIA would crack and crimp the cable when stressed past its bend radius.
Technical Advances & Scalability
The nanoFIBER ™ is a “patented and U.S.A UL approved” solution that had been engineered to provide the industry’s smallest outer diameter of our Armor that adds the following: The Armor Fiber machinery will ensure that the stainless-steel tubular design will maintain maximum flexible bendability, strength and ruggedness to meet all project requirements. The nanoFIBER Optic Cable with 3 KEVLAR LEVELS and 2 jacket layers ensure maximum strength and durability.
The fiber optic armored jackets are scalable and customizable to provide the 48 strands specified for the Charlotte Airport project. The “power” in the armored jacket can provide a single solution to installers who need to connect Security Cameras by fiber cables.
About the Company
Fiber optics… nanoFIBER™ is a revolutionary U.S. patented and U.L. Listed manufacturer of stainless-steel armored fiber optic cables to meet the needs of the harshest environments to the tightest pathways at the airports.
Founded in 2010, nanoFIBER™ wanted to solve the problem of a fiber optic cable to be built around the smallest Outer Diameter (OD) and lightest stainless-steel coiled Micro Armor Fiber™ for superior durability, bendability, ruggedness, as well as crush and rodent resistant.
This includes airport project usages from aerial, buried, small pathways, powered cables and etc. nanoFIBER uses single and multimode fiber optics in the micro armor such as OS2, OM1, OM3, OM4, OM5 and strand count from 1 TO 288 Strands (250u/900u/Ribbon) to meet all needs and projects.
Furthermore, nanoFIBER manufactures a variety of Multi-Strand pre-termination that are available with MTP/MPO, LC, SC, ST, MU, HDMI (digital signage) etc. to meet all installation needs. The Jackets are available for Riser, Plenum, Indoor/Outdoor, LSZH, Burial as well as Industrial uses and conditions at the airport. The patch cords can be prepared to meet all needs, lengths for standard or custom lengths. Lastly, nanoFIBER™ are designed to lower the installation costs of support systems, pathways and manpower hours from current bulky (AIA) armor.
The goal for nanoFIBER is to provide product assurance and the ultimate satisfaction for all airport projects.
CLT Summary
So, what does a robust infrastructure mean to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a much better and safer place to catch a flight. Charlotte is home of the 10th largest U.S. airport and moves over 46 million passengers a year through its gates.
The concourse expansion is a model for what the rest of the passenger areas will eventually look like as a series of renovations continues in the coming years at Charlotte Airport. Including a new runway and a makeover of the main terminal lobby, the series of capital improvement projects, known as Destination CLT, will total $2.5 billion when the decade-long expansion wraps up in 2025.
Roman Krawczyk, CEO and Chief Engineer for Point 2 Point Communications and the nanoFIBER brand is proud of our achievement. nanoFIBER™ provided the right solution that met all the needs of the airport designers and installers.
The smallest outer diameter stainless steel coiled armored solution with the greatest bend radius as well as handling the harshest environments and through the tightest pathways at the airport. The bonus of 65% smaller and 75% lighter than traditional AIA which lowers shipping cost and manpower hours for the installation.
This met all the airport’s main objectives of reclaiming the current pathways and providing room for growth for decades ahead.
Roman further elaborates “that is was a pleasure working with Justin Hobbs on this project and it’s been inspiring to see nanoFIBER mature to a brand that can support a project such as the Charlotte Douglas International Airport at all levels.”
Results: When comparing 1000 feet of armored fiber optic cabling, nanoFIBER cables are approximately 65% smaller and 75% lighter than Aluminum Interlocking Armor. The nanoFIBER armor had a greater bend radius and did not crack, crimp or break when bending past its capabilities. AIA would crack and crimp the cable when stressed past its bend radius.
Technical Advances & Scalability
The nanoFIBER ™ is a “patented and U.S.A UL approved” solution that had been engineered to provide the industry’s smallest outer diameter of our Armor that adds the following: The Armor Fiber machinery will ensure that the stainless-steel tubular design will maintain maximum flexible bendability, strength and ruggedness to meet all project requirements. The nanoFIBER Optic Cable with 3 KEVLAR LEVELS and 2 jacket layers ensure maximum strength and durability.
The fiber optic armored jackets are scalable and customizable to provide the 48 strands specified for the Charlotte Airport project. The “power” in the armored jacket can provide a single solution to installers who need to connect Security Cameras by fiber cables.
About the Company
Fiber optics… nanoFIBER™ is a revolutionary U.S. patented and U.L. Listed manufacturer of stainless-steel armored fiber optic cables to meet the needs of the harshest environments to the tightest pathways at the airports.
Founded in 2010, nanoFIBER™ wanted to solve the problem of a fiber optic cable to be built around the smallest Outer Diameter (OD) and lightest stainless-steel coiled Micro Armor Fiber™ for superior durability, bendability, ruggedness, as well as crush and rodent resistant.
This includes airport project usages from aerial, buried, small pathways, powered cables and etc. nanoFIBER uses single and multimode fiber optics in the micro armor such as OS2, OM1, OM3, OM4, OM5 and strand count from 1 TO 288 Strands (250u/900u/Ribbon) to meet all needs and projects.
Furthermore, nanoFIBER manufactures a variety of Multi-Strand pre-termination that are available with MTP/MPO, LC, SC, ST, MU, HDMI (digital signage) etc. to meet all installation needs. The Jackets are available for Riser, Plenum, Indoor/Outdoor, LSZH, Burial as well as Industrial uses and conditions at the airport. The patch cords can be prepared to meet all needs, lengths for standard or custom lengths. Lastly, nanoFIBER™ are designed to lower the installation costs of support systems, pathways and manpower hours from current bulky (AIA) armor.
The goal for nanoFIBER is to provide product assurance and the ultimate satisfaction for all airport projects.
CLT Summary
So, what does a robust infrastructure mean to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a much better and safer place to catch a flight. Charlotte is home of the 10th largest U.S. airport and moves over 46 million passengers a year through its gates.
The concourse expansion is a model for what the rest of the passenger areas will eventually look like as a series of renovations continues in the coming years at Charlotte Airport. Including a new runway and a makeover of the main terminal lobby, the series of capital improvement projects, known as Destination CLT, will total $2.5 billion when the decade-long expansion wraps up in 2025.
Roman Krawczyk, CEO and Chief Engineer for Point 2 Point Communications and the nanoFIBER brand is proud of our achievement. nanoFIBER™ provided the right solution that met all the needs of the airport designers and installers.
The smallest outer diameter stainless steel coiled armored solution with the greatest bend radius as well as handling the harshest environments and through the tightest pathways at the airport. The bonus of 65% smaller and 75% lighter than traditional AIA which lowers shipping cost and manpower hours for the installation.
This met all the airport’s main objectives of reclaiming the current pathways and providing room for growth for decades ahead.
Roman further elaborates “that is was a pleasure working with Justin Hobbs on this project and it’s been inspiring to see nanoFIBER mature to a brand that can support a project such as the Charlotte Douglas International Airport at all levels.”
Day Two TRAXyL 9-Step Deployment
Team prepped for day 2 goals and objectives during the 7am breakfast meeting. Due to hills and inconsistent asphalt surfaces, only channel grooving was completed on the second day by the TRAXtor.
This took a little longer than expected due to tough concrete in some areas, and gravel like terrain in others. The 1800 feet of grooving took about 2 hours.
Day Three 6-Steps of FiberTRAX and Final Walkthrough
Team prepped for day 3 goals and objectives during the 7am breakfast meeting. The TRAXtor laid the fiber optic cable and the durable topcoat. Laying the topcoat and fiber took approximately 3 hours once appropriate hand work was completed. Completed FiberTRAX asphalt.
Day Four & Five – Interconnections of Fiber-In-The Building (FITB)
According to Lee Renfroe, “Connectivity is mission critical. Camp Loyaltown services are tied Telehealth platform is at its core as a key service for campers through the Telehealth that allows real-time diagnostic over a network system.”
Project started at 7 am after breakfast and developed the 8-step project and goals for the day.
First day on site was all site prep, splicing and handwork.
The nanoFIBER Camo Fusion Splicer was the tool of choice. It provides quick splice on technology and extremely reliable in all work conditions.
Mr. Renfroe states, “On this project we utilized “splice on pigtails” because they provide a better-quality product than mechanical style connectors. The fusion splicer we used was provided by nanoFIBER and was a core alignment machine that produces high quality splices with least amount of loss.”
Due to the pre-planning and great installation from TRAXyL, we were able to complete the splicing and testing 50% of the scheduled timeframe.
CamoSplicer
CamoSplicer Optical Fiber Fusion Splicer is a small size optical fiber fusions splicer used for fusion splicing of standard communications fibers. The rich functionality and ultra-low splice loss makes the splicer adaptive to fiber splicing in various environments. It is featured with small size, light weight, high reliability, greater environmental adaptability, dust-resistant, water-resistant, and shock-resistant. Multiple fusion modes and heating modes are available to meet diversified customers’ demands. Fiber loading becomes more convenient and accurate thanks to the ceramic V-groove of high precision, which is easy to clean and maintain. The splicer is capable of dual-directional fusion. The touch screen monitor delivers freshly designed graphical interfaces, which are simple for operation. The modular pluggable lithium-ion battery of large-capacity ensures long-time field operations. The auto environment compensation system greatly improves adaptability of the splicer to hostile environments, so that low-loss splice can be remained consistent in various environments.
Terminate Test and Certificate
The third and final visit was for termination and testing process. All buildings had brand new data racks and we used rack mount fiber panels. The fibers were terminated with LC splice on pigtails using the CamoSplicer from nanoFIBER™. There was a total of 136 splices between the 5 buildings. All fibers were tested with Softing FiberXpert OTDR 5000.
Summary and Testimony
Joseph Milone, Director of AHRC Network Solutions states, “the Fiber-To-Flush-Mount-Surface Solutions was an amazing technology. I Would recommend TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™ services for their end-to-end professionalism, due diligence, unique and revolutionary products, and equipment. Add the completion on time and early than expected with Zero incidents as the special bonus.”
In Summary, AHRC provided a bid proposal for a fiber infrastructure buildout at Camp Loyaltown to meet their needs for a reliable and fast internet connection. The concerns of meeting deadlines and interrupting the 2023 Camp was a huge consideration. The TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™ solution met or exceeded all bid requirements and was awarded the project. The execution of their daily plan proved to AHRC that this was the right solution for the Camp.
Mr. Milone further states, we are considering next year new projects with TRAXyL/nanoFIBER™. The first may be our Shoreman N.Y. ICF Immediate Care Facility (ICF) which is one step below a hospital and for designed for frail individuals. This project contains 4 houses for 80 patients. The goal is to upgrade the fiber and the underground pipe that have been compromised. Currently deployed old copper cables and OM1 fiber.
I am available to anyone considering the TRAXyL/nanoFIBER “flush to surface” solution and looking for a testimonial about their technology, commitment, and work ethic as nothing less than exemplary to reach out to me via email at Joseph Milone jmilone@ahrc.org .
About TRAXyL
TRAXyL’s patented “painting” process bonds low-profile fiber cables directly on any paved surface, sealing them in protective coatings, and mitigating major disruptions to property and daily life. Located in Gainesville, VA, TRAXyL is a successful government contractor and looking to make high speed data and fiber optics accessible to everyone.
About nanoFIBER™
nanoFIBER™ is a N.Y. based Engineering and Manufacturing company with several U.S. patents and UL Listings on the stainless-steel armored fiber optic cabling solutions and related products. Roman Krawczyk, CEO and Chief Engineer takes pride in his team by bringing real solutions with a purpose for cabling installers in all vertical markets.
NanoFIBER™ /Point2Point Corporation with over thirty-five (35) years of engineering experience for complex network system designs. nanoFIBER™ is headquartered in Lindenhurst, N.Y. where their highly skilled and dedicated staff of network and electrical engineers, designs the fiber optic network backbone from the roads as well as the Fiber-To-The-X (home & business).
About GoFroe Installation and Training
GoFroe is a low voltage integration company located in Fitzgerald, GA. Their services include structured cabling, security, access control, CCTV, and Hosted VoIP. GoFroe is owned and operated by Lee Renfroe who has over 25 years of ICT experience. Renfroe has several industry certifications including BICSI RCDD, CFOT, CFOS/I, and he also holds an unrestricted low voltage license for state of Georgia. Lee Renfroe also owns a training company, GoFar, that is an authorized Fiber Optic Association training school. GoFar offers fiber optic certification and training classes throughout the U.S.
Specs and Additional Photos/Videos
